No One Ever Looks Up
by shilo1364
Summary: Rose can no longer stand pretending that she and Dimitri are nothing more than mentor and student. So she takes matters into her own hands. Set during Vampire Academy. Before the dance and lust charm, but after the shopping trip. Romitri. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1: No One Ever Looks Up

I hardly dared breathe as I crouched outside his window. It was mid-day (mid-night in the Moroi world) and I was perched on a ledge outside the third floor Guardian dorms. The sun shone on my back, and I paused for a moment to savor the warmth of its rays. God I missed the sun. I would be easy to spot, had anyone looked up. But it was after curfew – everyone was asleep. And, anyway, no one _ever_ looks up.

Ever so gently, I eased the window open. Ever so slowly, I shifted the blackout curtain. Good – he was asleep. I'd hoped he would be, but I hadn't been sure. Now – how to get in without waking him? I decided to just go for it. Carefully, I eased one leg over the sill. So far, so good. Now, slowly slide the hips, waist, shoulders, head… And… drop to a crouch… Perfect. Now, glide over to the bed…

It looked as if he'd fallen asleep whilst reading. One of his well-worn cowboy novels rested beside his out-flung arm. I took a moment to drink in the godly perfection of his body, then smirked. Judging by his considerably tented boxers, this was not going to be terribly difficult. My fingers twitched, itching to smooth the hair back from his brow, stroke his bare stomach and chest. I ran them instead down my front, smoothing the dress he had been forced to admit he admired at the mall. I stroked softly down from its plunging neckline to its silky – and very short – skirt.

It was no wonder he'd said the dress would endanger the school – the top hugged my curves and gave me a _lot_ of cleavage. And the flirty skirt brushed the tops of my thighs and barely covered my butt. And, honestly, I didn't intend to wear it to the dance. Maybe I would have, once. But now the only man I wanted to see me like this lay before me. I knew I couldn't have him, but dammit I wanted him. And I was tired of training with him each day, pretending the sexual tension wasn't there. I was done pretending.

So here I was. In his room, while he slept. In this dress. It wasn't the sort of dress you'd wear to a dance, not really. But to a seduction? Oh yes, this was the perfect dress to wear to a seduction.

I ran my eyes hungrily over his nearly-naked body. After this, nothing would be the same again. Either he'd push me away, maybe refuse to train me, get me kicked out of school, and I'd never be a guardian… or he'd let me break down those walls and would make me his. I had no idea which way he would go. But I was done pretending. One way or another, things were about to change.

I stepped closer, closer, moving silently in my bare feet. One step. Two. He snorted, and I froze, but he didn't wake. His breathing settled and I drifted closer still, until I stood at his side. Slowly, slowly, I lifted one leg up, over, until I straddled him, hovering over his body. I hesitated for an instant – but it was far too late to turn back now. I lowered myself gently onto his body, until I was straddling him, directly over those tented boxers. I leaned down, shifted my hips against his, and pressed my lips to his.

"Dimitri." I whispered against his lips. His reaction was instantaneous, overwhelming, and exactly what I hadn't dared hope for.

His lips moved against mine hungrily, and his hands twined in my hair as he pulled me closer. His tongue demanded entrance and I granted it, moaning softly as he deepened the kiss. His hands slipped down my sides to grasp my hips as he pulled me against him, and I instinctively rocked my pelvis against his. I felt him lengthening and hardening under me, felt him pulsing with need through the thin cloth separating us. He moved his hands slowly up and down my thighs, then up my sides, his fingers trailing fire in their wake. When he reached the sides of my breasts he paused, then agonizingly slowly began moving those clever fingers towards my rapidly hardening nipples. He cupped my breasts then, and with his thumbs began teasing my nipples, sending jolts of pleasure to my core.

"Dimitri!" I gasped, and it was as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over us.

His eyes flew open, and he stiffened and jerked away from me.

"Rose." He was gasping for breath as much as I, but desperately trying to control it. "What are you doing here?" His tone was hard, cold, disappointed.

He didn't want me.

I couldn't meet his eyes. "I…nothing. Nevermind." I said softly. I had gambled, and I had lost – which was even more painful after allowing myself to think I had won. I started to swing my leg back over him, climb off his lap and slink out the way I had come.

I shifted only an inch before I realized. Climb _off_ his lap. I was still straddling him. And his need still pulsed beneath me. I shifted my hips experimentally, and felt his instant response as his erection stiffened and twitched against me. He wanted me, alright, I realized. I shifted again, testing. Again, he twitched beneath me, and his fingers tightened around my breasts. He'd never moved them.

He realized it the same time I did.

"Rose…" he started, frowning. I noticed he had yet to remove his hands.

"What?" I asked innocently, running the tip of my tongue across my lower lip. His eyes followed; darkening, and his breathing became labored.

"Rose…" he tried again.

"Shh." I pressed my finger to his lips, cutting off his protest. Instead of removing it, I slowly traced his lip.

He twitched against me again, more insistently. His fingers started tracing patterns against my breasts. My pulse quickened.

"Why are you here?" he whispered against my finger.

"I had to ask you a question."

"Oh?" One eyebrow went up.

"Yes." I purred. "Don't you want to know which underwear I'm wearing?"

His eyes widened and darkened with lust.

"What makes you think I care which underwear you're wearing?" he asked huskily.

He was trying so hard to feign disinterest. But I could see it in his eyes – he was running through a mental catalogue of every pair of my underwear that he'd seen (slipping out of my bag at practice, strewn around my room when he came to fetch me, any excuse I could think of, really). I thought of the _very_ sexy pair I'd slipped over his drawer knob on my way in, and his face when he found them later, and smiled. A sexy, sultry, predatory smile.

"Because," I whispered throatily in his ear, "I'm not wearing any."

He growled and crushed his lips to mine. When we broke the kiss, gasping for breath, he flipped us so he hovered over me.

"Roza," he whispered, "are you sure?" His eyes begged me to say yes.

"Comrade," I grinned, "what did you think I came all this way for?"

And then he attacked my lips with his own, as he pressed his body to mine. With my last shreds of conscious thought, I made a mental note to send a thank you card to the store where Lissa found that dress.


	2. Chapter 2: Waking Up to You

When my alarm went off the next morning, I groaned and reached over to hit it until it turned off. Instead of the hard plastic alarm, however, my arm smacked against something soft. Huh. That's weird. I tried again, moving slightly. I must have shifted in my sleep. My hand came down, smack!

"Ow! What the Hell?"

Wait. Did my alarm clock just yelp? I forced my eyes open blearily, then frowned. I must still be asleep. I pinched myself. It didn't work. So I tried pinching the person next to me.

"Ow!"

"Oh. Uh, sorry, Dimitri."

"What the Hell, Roza?" he groaned rubbing his arm where I'd pinched him.

"Wait. Did I?"

"Pinch me? Yeah. Whatever for?"

"Oh, that was because I thought I was still asleep, and pinching myself didn't work, so I thought… well, actually I'm not sure what I thought. I wasn't quite awake yet."

"No kidding." He rolled his eyes. "But why'd you smack me?"

I frowned. "I didn't smack you, Comrade; you must have been dreaming."

"No, I'm pretty sure I didn't dream that you smacked me."

"Uh, I think I'd remember smacking you. Where did I allegedly smack you, anyway?" As soon as the words left my mouth I remembered blearily flailing about trying to turn off the alarm. Oops.

He blushed and indicated the area between his legs. Wait, why was he blushing? Oh. OH.

"Sorry. I thought…" Now it was my turn to blush.

He raised his eyebrow. "You thought what?"

"ThatIwasturningoffmyalarm" I mumbled under my breath.

"What?"

"I thought I was turning off my alarm, jeez."

"That's how you turn off your alarm?"

"Hey. I don't like mornings." I said defensively.

He snorted. "I'll make sure to sleep on your other side when we're in your room then."

We both froze as we realized what he'd said.

 _When_ we're in _your_ room. _When._ He was planning to wake up next to me _in my room._ This was bigger than allowing me to seduce him. Bigger than taking my virginity. Bigger than letting me fall asleep with him afterwards, rather than sending me back to my room as I half expected. I woke up next to him this morning; but not only was he planning on us doing this again, he was planning to wake up _next to me_! When I'd had a moment to recover from shock, I mentally began squealing and happy dancing. This was it! He'd finally given in – even if he hadn't quite realized it yet. A glance at his bemused but resigned expression assured me he had. He wasn't going to fight it any more! He –

"Roza." He startled me out of my jubilant daze. "Before you faint on me, let me clarify."

Uh oh. Here it comes. My good mood soured and I groaned.

"And before you kill me, just hear me out."

I frowned at him.

"Roza." He dusted off his stern, slightly disapproving mentor voice.

I sighed. "Fine."

"Thank you. Now, it's not nearly as bad as you think."

"How do you know what I think?" I interrupted grumpily.

"Because it's written all over your face. Now, no more interruptions, or I'll make you go straight to practice without breakfast."

"You wouldn't!" I gasped.

"Try me." He said drily.

"Ugh. Fine." I crossed my arms. Childish, I know. But he was threatening my breakfast. That was crossing the line.

"Now, as I was saying. I'm not going to keep pretending that I don't love you."

"You love me?" My voice came out a small, strangled squeak.

Dimitri stared at me for a second, his expression opaque. Then he dropped his head into his hands, and his shoulders began to shake. I hesitantly reached out to touch his shoulder, and after a moment he looked up, his face red. There were tears running down his cheeks, and I realized he was laughing silently.

"God," He choked out, "could I have screwed this up any worse? I shouldn't be allowed to speak in the mornings."

"I'll keep that in mind." I said drily, and we lost it. We laughed until we were both red in the face and gasping for breath, tears running down our cheeks. I swiped ineffectually at mine, then gave up and hiccupped, which set us off again.

Neither of us could hold ourselves up any longer, and we collapsed against each other.

That's when it dawned on us that we were both still naked.

We each froze mid-laugh. Slowly, tentatively, his hands came up to cup my face, thumbs gently wiping away the tear-tracks. He brushed my lips with his fingertips, then lowered his mouth to mine.

He kissed me softly at first, haltingly. But as the kiss went on he grew more confident, molding his mouth to mine and deepening the kiss. Our hands began moving, exploring one another's bodies. I moaned softly, and he twined his hands in my hair and pulled me against him.

He flipped us, so that he hovered over me, his erection teasing my entrance. I gulped. I hadn't really gotten a good look at it last night. But it was _huge_. I didn't think it would fit inside me. 'It did last night.' I reminded myself. Somehow that wasn't as comforting as I had hoped.

Dimitri cleared his throat, snapping me back from my mild panic.

"We don't have to do this. Especially since you're probably sore, after last night."

I'd never tire of seeing Dimitri blush. It was absolutely adorable.

"No, it's not that"

"What, then?" He was obviously confused.

"Well," I hesitated, then decided to just spit it out. "It's just, you're so, y'know, _big_." I gestured awkwardly.

Dimitri started laughing again.

"What?"

"You do know that's a compliment, right?" he choked out.

"Oh. Right." It was my turn to blush.

"I promise it will fit." He was trying not to laugh.

I muttered something unintelligible, embarrassed still.

"What?" he asked, clearly concerned. Damn him.

Instead of answering, I pulled him back to me and kissed him, hard.

And just like that, the smoldering passion flared between us and ignited once more.

He paused before entering me, giving me time to pull away. I loved him for it, even as I found it absolutely infuriating. I wrapped my arms around him and tugged insistently, and this time he didn't hesitate.

I felt a ghost of pain, but it was fleeting. And though I was sore, it wasn't any worse than what I was used to from training. And the pleasure Dimitri wrought from my body was _so_ worth it.

Afterward, we lay contentedly in one another's arms.

"What you said earlier," I asked hesitantly, "did you mean it?" I traced nervous patterns on his skin, my eyes downcast, as I waited for his answer.

Finally he breathed "Yes, my Roza."

"Yes what?" I still didn't look at him.

He lifted my chin with one finger, forcing me to meet his eyes.

"Yes, I love you." He said it softly, but I heard the conviction in his voice. He meant it, I realized, even though it went against what we believed, what we'd been taught. His voice told me he would fight for me, for us, and something in me relaxed that I hadn't known was tense. He must have seen it, for his smile grew wider.

"It's time I stop denying it and figure out how we can make this work."

I smiled. "Finally! Oh, and I love you, too, comrade."

His head jerked up, his eyes meeting mine, incredulous. What he saw there must have reassured him, for his eyes lit up and he grinned back at me.

"I think that deserves a kiss." He whispered huskily, and we molded ourselves together again.

A knock sounded on the door, and we froze. The knock came again, more insistent. Dimitri stared at me, eyes wide. He seemed to come to a decision, for he motioned me to be silent (duh!) and hide in the bathroom, which I quickly did. He walked towards the door, and I realized he was naked. I grabbed a towel off the rack behind me and whispered "Psst. Comrade!" as I threw it at him.

He nodded his thanks and quickly wrapped it around himself as he hurried to the door. I made sure whoever was there wouldn't be able to see me, and settled in to listen.

Dimitri opened the door a crack.

"Dimitri!" It was Alberta. "Where have you been? Your shift started ten minutes ago!"

He swung around to look at the clock and swore. Wow. It was later than I'd thought. I'd missed half my classes already. I focused back on Dimitri as he spoke. The man had _fine_ legs. 'Focus, Rose!' I scolded myself.

"I didn't feel well this morning, I must have slept in."

Seriously Dimitri? _That's_ all you can come up with?

Alberta seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Is _that_ what they're calling it these days?" Alberta raised an eyebrow, words laced with sarcasm, as she smirked and gestured to the rumpled bed and scattered clothes. And was that… Oh, Shit. Dimitri must have seen the sexy underwear I'd planted at the same time I did. His back stiffened.

I _really_ wished I could have seen Dimitri's face just then. I could see mine in the mirror, and it was a picture of confusion and guilt. I imagined his was probably similar.

Alberta sighed, and her face softened. "I was young once, too. I've covered your shifts for today, but this had better be the last time." He nodded emphatically.

As he was about to close the door, she turned back.

"Oh, and Dimitri, please tell Rose I'll have her assignments for the day in my office. I expect to see her immediately after dinner."

She laughed at his expression. "I imagine you'll see her at practice this evening." And she winked. Oh. My. God. She _knew._

Dimitri stared after her for a moment, then slowly shut the door. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then, slowly, he turned to face me. I reluctantly met his eyes, not sure what I'd find there. I was steeling myself for the inevitable rejection, but he surprised me once again. Maybe he noticed the trepidation in my eyes, for he silently opened his arms to me. That was all the invitation I needed – I ran across the room and threw myself into his arms, letting the comforting bulk of him sooth me. After a moment, I pulled away slightly and looked up at him.

"What do we do now?"

He sighed, and pulled me back into his embrace.

"Now, we get something to eat and get you ready for training. And then… then we have a talk with Alberta."


	3. Chapter 3: They Come First

"Uh, Dimitri," I said, once I'd stepped out of his shower, "we've got a problem."

"Oh?"

"Well, what am I going to wear?" It was the middle of the Moroi afternoon, and campus would be crawling with students, guardians, and teachers. There was no way I'd be able to get away with walking across campus in that dress. Much less walk out of Dimitri's room in it. And wearing his towel wouldn't really be any better.

"Oh." He looked at the rumpled dress skeptically. "Maybe…" But we both knew it would be a terrible idea.

I picked it up. "Oh. It's…"

"It's what?"

I held it up wordlessly, giving him a moment to take in the fact that it was practically ripped in two.

"Oh."

"You've been saying that a lot this afternoon."

He grimaced. "I need food, Roza. We both do."

"Yeah. Which brings us back to _this_." I dropped the dress, nose wrinkled.

"Um. Maybe I have something you can wear?"

I eyed him skeptically. "Comrade, if you hadn't noticed, you're like, two feet taller than me. In fact, you're probably twice my size."

"So pants are out. What about shorts?"

"You own shorts? You're from the –"

"The frozen north. I know." he interrupted my familiar jibe. "We do have summer though. So yes, I have shorts."

He dug through his closet as we spoke, unearthing a pair of athletic shorts, which he tossed at me. A T-shirt followed seconds later.

I slipped them on, and went to stand in front of the mirror. My snort of laughter soon drew Dimitri.

"I look ridiculous." The shorts fell past my knees, and the T-shirt sleeves hung past my elbows.

He failed to hold back a snort of his own. "Yes, Roza, you do. However, that's the best we can do."

I nodded. "I need a belt." I held out the waistband to illustrate – it would have easily accommodated two of me. "And better toss me a sweatshirt."

"Are you cold, Roza?" He looked puzzled.

"No, but these," I indicated my chest, "need a _bit_ more coverage. Unless you really want all the guys to stare."

He eyed my chest and gulped. "Right," his voice came out strangled, "let me see… here."

I caught the hoodie he tossed me and pulled it on. A bit warm, but it would do. I rolled the sleeves up, and cinched the belt around my waist to hold up the shorts. I then rolled up the legs of the shorts to a more reasonable length. The T-shirt sleeves felt weird, but they were hidden under the hoodie, as was the odd bunching where I'd rolled the waistband of the shorts over the belt.

We both surveyed the results. Not bad, I decided. Not my best look, but not bad. Maybe I'd start a trend.

Dimitri wrapped his arms around me from behind and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"You look sexy when you wear my clothes, Roza."

I wiggled my hips, pressing back against him, and he growled. He spun me around in his arms, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face to mine. I pressed my lips to his, but instead of kissing him, I whispered against his lips.

"We both need to eat, and you know it. And if we start this now, we'll be here all night."

He groaned, but released me. I instantly missed his warmth, and was tempted to snuggle back into him and kiss him senseless, but my stomach growled loudly, reminding me that both of us would be _really_ grumpy if we didn't eat soon. With a sigh, I pulled away, and headed for the door.

Dimitri held out a hand to stop me. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

The sexy underwear I'd planted last night dangled from his finger.

"Oh, Comrade." I purred, " _Those_ are a souvenir." I shot him my patented man-eater grin.

His eyebrow went up, and his eyes widened. I expected him to give them to me anyway, launch into some lecture on responsibility, but he just grinned and slipped them into his sock drawer.

No way! He was actually going to keep them. He must have seen the surprise on my face; his grin widened as he playfully chastised me.

"I told you, Roza, I'm not going to deny our relationship any longer."

'At least until this evening, when we face Alberta.' my mind helpfully warned. God, did it have to be so freaking pessimistic? At least let me enjoy this new Dimitri while it lasts!

"Come on, Comrade," I said aloud, "lets go eat."

Luckily the Guardian dorms were deserted, so we didn't have to explain my being in Dimitri's room. We decided to get food before going back to my room for a change of clothes. Of course, we'd neglected to check the time. It was the middle of lunch, and the cafeteria and commons were swarming with students. Oops. So much for staying under the radar.

"Whoa, Rose, nice look."

"Damn. Who's the lucky guy?"

Whistles and catcalls followed me across the school grounds, but it wasn't anything I wasn't used to. Dimitri, however, wasn't used to it. He growled, and his frown deepened as we walked. He had dropped back from my side as soon as we left his dorm, but I could feel his tension increasing. I had to think of a way to defuse it before he lost control – he did _not_ need attacking a Moroi on his record, no matter that these dicks deserved it.

 _They come first_. Sometimes that phrase – the code we lived (and died) by – just made me want to scream. I'd live and die for Lissa, sure, but some of these jerks…

"I've got a shirt you can wear, baby."

…Jesse came to mind, just as his voice joined those already taunting me. He certainly didn't deserve it. _Ugh_. I mentally kicked myself. I had enough to deal with right now – no sense in getting worked up over something I couldn't change.

Thankfully, we were nearly at the cafeteria, and the welcome distraction of food. Of course, it couldn't be that easy.

'Rose!' came through the bond, just as a petite blonde to my left squealed "ROSE!" and started jumping up and down, windmilling her arms at me.

Thankfully, Christian managed to pull Lissa back down to her seat and restrain her before she attracted too much attention. Or hurt someone. She'd come pretty close to accidentally decking Eddie just then - not that that would have been a problem, really. Waves of excitement, frustration, and impatience washed through the bond, nearly knocking me down with their intensity. I sighed, and looked longingly at the food line. But there was no way Lissa could wait that long. "They come first." I muttered to myself as I turned away from the food. Oh, she was gonna owe me.

"Rose?" Dimitri looked from the food line to where I was now headed. "Oh." Understanding softened his features. "I'll bring you something, OK?"

"Thanks, Comrade," I smiled at him, feeling some of the tension and annoyance fade, "you're the best."

When I reached the table, I got a few strange looks, but I couldn't really focus on them - Lissa immediately sent so many questions through the bond I couldn't even process them all.

"Whoa, Liss, slow down!" I exclaimed, hands held out to ward off the mental interrogation.

"Sorry. But, Rose, where the Hell where you?"

"Asleep?"

She shot me a look that said 'I heard the question mark there, missy.'

"Rose," she said exasperatedly, "didn't you think we'd check your room? I know for a fact that you haven't been there since yesterday." She glared at me.

"Wait, how do you know that?"

She sighed, and spoke slowly, as if to a child, "Because your bed is made, Rose."

"So?"

This time her stare was incredulous. "You've _never_ made your bed in the entire time I've known you. I made it yesterday while waiting for you to come out of the bathroom – like I do almost every day. And the first thing you do, when you go in your room, is flop dramatically down on the bed and muss it all up. Since it's still perfectly made up, you obviously haven't slept in it."

"Oh."

"Exactly. Now. _Where_ were you last night? And _what_ kind of clothes are you wearing?"

"You mean _whose_ clothes is she wearing, Liss." smirked Christian.

"What? Oh. OH! Rose! Who –"

I slapped my hand over her mouth. "Geez, Liss, could you yell any louder? I'm not sure everyone at the elementary campus heard you." I glared at her. Unfortunately, since I've known her since we were four, it doesn't really work on her. She ignored it. I was somewhat mollified to see that Christian and Eddie – seated on either side of her - had shrunk back in their chairs and leaned away from her.

I was trying to formulate a reply for Liss when a plate of food appeared as if by magic in front of me. Dimitri sank into the empty chair next to me.

"Pepperoni Pizza and Chocolate Donuts! Comrade, you're my favorite person _ever_!"

He just laughed. "Yes, well, I won't let you eat that way every day, but this once won't kill you."

I elbowed him. "If it was gonna kill me, Comrade, it would have done it already. I eat this stuff almost every day – have for years."

He turned a bit green at the thought. I pointed my fork at him menacingly. "And if you think you're going to turn me into one of those girls who just eats salad, you'd better reconsider, or you'll find yourself missing a few important bits." I dropped my gaze to his lap, to drive home the threat. He just laughed.

"Roza, you wouldn't like that any more than I would."

"Damn." I dropped my head to the table, narrowly missing the pizza, thank God. "I shouldn't try to threaten people before breakfast."

"Uh, Rose," Lissa looked really confused now, "this is lunch."

"Breakfast for me, Liss. I…" I cut myself off, but not before comprehension dawned in the eyes of my closest friends. Double Damn.

"Wait!" My head shot up off the table and I stared wide-eyed at Dimitri. "Did you just make a sex joke? Oh. My. God. You did!"

He flushed bright red, and ducked his head. I couldn't resist patting it.

I managed several bites of pizza, and a few of donut – what can I say, I don't see the point of waiting for dessert – before anyone else could form a question. Finally Eddie pulled it together enough to stammer "You! He! Did?" I cut him off before he could embarrass himself any further.

"This stays at this table, got it? Dimitri and I are together. Now pick your jaws up off the floor and eat your lunch."

At Lissa's wordless squeak, I relented. "Liss, we can talk later."

To my surprise, Christian overruled me. "No, Rose, we'll all talk later. This is too big to leave without some kind of explanation. And, anyway, we have to come up with our story, and it would be best if we all had the same one." He turned to Dimitri. "And Eddie and I have some questions for you."

I was touched by their concern.

"OK guys, I guess we can do that." I looked to Dimitri for confirmation, and he nodded assent. He seemed impressed too.

"Well," he said, picking up his empty tray, "we'd better get to training. Rose?"

"Coming." I picked up my own tray, stuffing the last of the donut into my mouth as I got up.

Christian had to get in the last word. "Riiiight. ' _Training_.'" He emphasized the word, and even made air quotes with his fingers. I reached over the table and smacked him on the head with my tray.

"Liss. Please control your boy toy."

"Hey!" he tried to look offended, but spoiled it by rubbing his head at the same time. It just made him look petulant.

Dimitri was trying to keep the laughter from escaping, but not entirely succeeding. "Come on, Rose," he choked out, and practically dragged me from the room. When we were safely in the gym, he burst out laughing.

"Rose," he shook his head, "I finally let you in, and in less than a day you've nearly ruined my guardian façade in front of everyone we've met. I don't think I'm gonna survive you. Now come here and let's see if you can channel some of that destructive energy."

We spent the rest of our training period sparring. It was oddly relaxing. He knew my moves, and I knew his, and now with our greater knowledge of one another's bodies, we moved almost as one, almost as if we were dancing. We were so completely absorbed in the fight we didn't even realize we had company until the sound of applause filtered into the bubble we had created around ourselves. We stopped and turned to find Alberta leaning against the wall and watching us.

"That was amazing." She complimented us. "You've clearly made her lethal, Belikov."

I blushed. "Alberta, what are you doing here?"

"You were supposed to be in my office 15 minutes ago. I came looking for you, and decided to see what you could do. Which is a lot. You two are _very_ impressive. In fact…"

She trailed off, obviously deep in thought. I wasn't sure I really wanted to know what she was thinking about. A glance at Dimitri told me he was thinking the same thing: whatever it was, we probably weren't going to like it.

She shook herself out of her thoughts and continued. "Anyway, that answers one of my questions."

"Which was?" She kept throwing me off my balance, and I tried to keep up my usual bravado.

She smirked. "Which was what _exactly_ you two get up to in _training._ " Geez. What's with the air quotes today?

"In any case, I can see that you actually do train her, Belikov. And you, Rose, have improved astronomically since he's been mentoring you."

"About that," Dimitri broke in, "I've been meaning to ask you…"

"Yes." She cut him off. "I'll have to talk to Kirova, but I think I can arrange it. So long as you will still train her?"

"I will happily train _with_ her," Dimitri clarified, "as her _equal_. But _not_ as her superior."

I was confused, but Alberta nodded. "I'll propose it to Kirova at our meeting tomorrow, but I don't foresee any difficulties with it."

"And now," she continued, "why don't the two of you get cleaned up, and meet me in my office in 15 minutes. There are some things we need to discuss that are better kept out of public areas." She looked pointedly at the students clustered around the door, obviously drawn by our fight.

Dimitri and I nodded, grabbed our bags, and headed for the showers.


	4. Chapter 4: The Talk

Ten minutes later, Dimitri and I met outside the showers. We shared a nervous look and a quick kiss, and then headed off to meet Alberta.

She opened her door just as Dimitri raised his hand to knock.

"Right on time!" she said, glancing at the clock. "Belikov, I'm impressed."

My stomach growled, and she laughed.

"Get her some food when we're done here, Belikov. I know you two have missed dinner, and I know how Rose gets when she's hungry. You're a good guardian - I wouldn't want to lose you."

"Hey!"

Dimitri grinned. Traitor. Alberta looked mildly shocked. She'd probably never seen him without his guardian's mask on, I realized. I wondered if he'd be able to summon it again after today. Probably. This was Dimitri, after all. Known to the novices as the 'Russian Battle God.' I smirked. Of course, I now knew he was a god in more than just battle…

"Rose!" Alberta dragged my attention back to our meeting.

"Sorry, Alberta. Guess I'm more tired than I realized." I said sheepishly.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why am I not surprised?"

I felt a blush rise to my traitorous cheeks. For all my bravado, I wasn't used to the innuendo directed at me to be _true._

Alberta chuckled, then covered it with a cough. "Anyway, Rose, as I was saying, we need to discuss your relationship with Belikov."

"Please don't fire him!" I begged.

"Rose." Alberta cut me off with a small smile. "I'm not going to fire him. But, we do need to talk about this."

I groaned. "Are you 'talking about this' as surrogate mother Alberta or Campus Head Guardian Petrov?"

She paused for a moment, then said "both."

Well. This could get interesting.

"Before we start, though," she said, "I spoke with Kirova while you guys were getting cleaned up, Belikov. She said that's fine, so long as you keep up your current training hours and Rose keeps her grades up."

"Spoke to her about what?" I was still confused.

"I asked if I could drop my status as your mentor." Dimitri explained. "Don't worry," he added, at my horrified expression, "it won't change how we train. It will just remove the mentor/student labels – we'll train as guarding partners."

"So… what will be different?" I asked suspiciously. If he was trying to weasel out of training with me….

"To us? Nothing." he said matter-of-factly. "To the outside world, we'll be partners – equals – instead of mentor/teacher and student." He smiled at me. "It removes one of the main barriers to our relationship."

"So, it's a good thing."

He grinned. "It's a _very_ good thing."

"Wait – does that mean Kirova knows about us?" I was mildly horrified.

"No. Well, not explicitly." Alberta looked thoughtful. "Though I'm not sure she'll be too surprised – she's sharper than she lets on."

After a moment of contemplative silence, she continued. "Now, as to your relationship – I have a few ground rules."

"First of all, Rose, you're almost 18. Please keep it under wraps until then. It would be even better if you could keep it quiet until after graduation, but I'm not holding out hope."

I opened my mouth to protest – after all, we'd kept it quiet this long – but she held up a hand to stop me.

"Second, when you do go public, be prepared – you're going to make a lot of Moroi _very_ unhappy. I'll do what I can to shield you from it while you're in school here, but there's only so much I can do."

I nodded. I knew firsthand how cruel teenagers could be – adults were undoubtedly worse. I caught Dimitri's eye. He looked nervous, but resolute. He took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. The silent message cheered me: we'd get through this together. Alberta eyed us as if she was going to say something, then shrugged and continued.

"Third, I'll look the other way until you make it public _if_ you do a few things for me."

Uh-oh. Here it comes, I thought. Alberta was famous for driving a hard bargain, and she'd been laughably easy on us until now. I didn't realize that I was tensing and bracing myself until Dimitri ran his thumb over the back of my hand. The breath I'd been unconsciously holding left me in a whoosh, and I nodded. We didn't really have a choice, after all, no matter what she was going to ask. Well, we could run. But that wasn't really an option for us. Dimitri and I were meant to be guardians – being together wouldn't change that.

I focused back on Alberta just as she began to speak.

"I want you to agree to three things," she began, "and I know you probably won't like them. But they are my conditions."

We nodded. What else could we do?

"First: I want you two to give a demonstration of sparring – like I saw you doing in the gym this afternoon – to visiting Moroi dignitaries when I ask it. It won't be often, but there are occasions where we need to give an example of what our dhampir training program can offer."

That wasn't too bad. Dimitri and I shared a look, and I knew he felt the same.

"We agree." he said formally.

Alberta looked at me. "You're letting him speak for you?" she asked incredulously.

I was puzzled. "We discussed it."

"When?" Now it was her turn to be confused.

"Just now."

"You didn't say anything."

I shrugged. "We didn't need to."

She shook her head. "You two are scary. Anyway… the second thing I'll ask of you is actually just a continuation of the first. The Queen is visiting our campus next week, and I would like the two of you to give your first sparring demo to her and her entourage."

"Seriously? The Queen?" I was so not expecting this. Lissa is going to kill me.

"Actually, it might improve your (and therefore Lissa's) standing with her." And now she's a mind reader too? But she knows that's the one argument I'd listen to.

"Alright." I sighed. "Why not?"

Alberta smiled. "Then, the last thing I'll ask is that you two compete as St. Vlad's team in the all school guardian tournament this year."

I was confused again, but Dimitri looked impressed, and a little intimidated.

"Wait – _as_ St. Vlad's team? As in, just us?" No wonder he looked intimidated.

She grinned. "That was quick. Yes. Each school sends the best male and female – guardian or novice, though it's often guardian – to compete individually and as a team. The competition is held every five years, and the winners typically get their pick of the best guarding jobs. As well as a trophy and cash prize. The school also gets a surge in novice admissions and wealthy Moroi donors. St. Vlad's hasn't won since I was in school." She got a faraway look in her eye.

"Did you compete, Alberta?" I was excited. She didn't often share anything from her past. I'd spent nearly 14 years looking up to her as a surrogate mother, and I'd only gleaned the bare minimum of information from her.

"Yes." Her smile was bigger than it usually was. "Art and I were a killer team that year."

"Art _Shoenberg_?!"

She grinned. "He was my mentor."

She let the sentence hang. Oh, he was more than that, Alberta. But I could tell from the way her expression had closed off that I wasn't getting anything else out of her now.

"You've been awfully quiet, Belikov." She said. "What are you thinking?"

I'd been so focused on drawing out Alberta, I hadn't even noticed Dimitri growing pensive beside me. Oops. Some girlfriend I was.

"Hey, Comrade. You OK?"

He smiled at me. It was only a little forced. "Sorry, Rose. It's a lot to take in."

"Did you know about this tournament?"

"It's being held at the school I attended. My little sister Vika just told me yesterday that she's been chosen to represent our school."

He'd be competing against his little sister. _I'd_ be competing against his little sister. I swallowed.

"They'll love you." He tried to reassure me. Of course, this just reminded me that his whole family would be there to see his sister compete. And now us. Eek.

Alberta gave us a knowing grin. "Since the tournament is the week before our Winter Break, you two have permission to stay in Russia until classes resume here. That gives you a week for the tournament and three weeks of whatever you want to do."

Dimitri beamed. "I'll call Mama tonight – I'm sure we can stay with her."

Three weeks in Russia – with my ex-mentor / boyfriend's family. _After_ competing against his sister. Gulp.

"Wait – did you compete in this tournament at your old school?"

"No. I was guarding Ivan, the last time in happened." He looked pained. "And the time before that I was a freshman." Now he smiled. "No matter how 'badass' you think I am, you must admit that a freshman novice is unlikely to be chosen over all other male novices _and guardians_ at their school."

He had a point.

"OK you two," Alberta made a shooing motion, "it's high time I got out of here. Go find Rose some food, Belikov."

He mock saluted. "Yes, sir."

Alberta's shocked laughter followed us out of her office.


	5. Chapter 5: That's Not Your Key

I was still reeling when we left Alberta's office. Dimitri took one look at my face and slipped his hand into mine, squeezing it gently.

"Come on – I'll make you dinner." I smiled up at him gratefully, looking forward to a quiet evening in, a sexy Russian cooking dinner… but of course, life had other plans.

"Rose!" Lissa motioned me over to where the others were sitting at one of the picnic tables in the courtyard. 'And bring Guardian Belikov.' she added through the bond. Her nose wrinkled as she thought it, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Please, Liss," I grinned at her when we were close enough to have some degree of privacy, "call him Dimitri – at least in private and through the bond."

"I dunno, Rose…" she started.

"Or," I interrupted, as I flopped down on the bench across from her, "I'll be forced to call _your_ boyfriend _Lord Ozera_."

"I'll do my best." She said hurriedly. I grinned at her horrified expression.

"Atta girl, Liss. Knew you'd see it my way."

Dimitri looked adorably awkward through our exchange. He shifted from one foot to another uneasily, and his guardian's mask had slipped enough that he wore a slight frown.

Christian and Eddie were both glaring at him, which was obviously adding to his discomfort. Mason, bless him, just looked confused.

"Uh, Rose?" he finally asked, "Did I miss something?"

"That's right!" Christian smacked his forehead. "You missed lunch! Where were you, anyway?"

"Retaking that math test." Mason grimaced. "I know I told you guys about it. So spill – what did I miss? Besides lunch, I mean. While we're at it, why is Guardian Belikov here? And why is he fidgeting?"

Dimitri glared at him. "I do _not_ fidget."

"Uh, yeah, Comrade, you sort of are." I couldn't help laughing at him. "Here," I patted the bench next to me, "have a seat. And try to relax. They don't bite, I promise."

"Actually Rose," said Eddie hesitantly, "remember that one time…"

"Guys!" Mason sounded annoyed. "Focus! I'm feeling seriously left out, here."

"Rose." Dimitri warned. I followed his gaze to the next table, where some of the students seemed a little too interested in our conversation.

"Sorry, Mase." I apologized. "But this isn't really the best place to talk about it."

We all shared an awkward glance.

"Maybe we should move this discussion to my room?" Lissa suggested.

"Um, Liss?"

"Yeah, Rose?"

"What about Natalie?"

"Oh." She looked momentarily guilty. "I sort of forgot about her."

Not difficult to do, I mused – though I knew it was cruel. Natalie was just… forgettable. But I definitely didn't want her in on our secret. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, exactly… Oh, who was I kidding. It was exactly that I didn't trust her. Natalie had a tendency to hang around with the school's most notorious gossips, and also to revel in spreading whatever rumors came her way. If we talked openly in Lissa's room, the whole school would know about our relationship by the end of the day. And then Alberta would kill us. If my mom didn't get to us first. I shuddered and looked pointedly at Lissa. The bond may not be two ways, but we know each other well enough that she can usually pick up on what I'm trying to tell her.

"Right." She decided. "Definitely not my room." 'Your room?' she silently asked.

She had a point. Dimitri's room was out – our presence there would be pretty hard to explain if anyone asked – and there was no way I was voluntarily stepping foot in Christian's. Really, my room was the best choice. Too bad it was a disaster. But then, I reflected, it was _always_ a disaster. They should all be used to it by now.

"OK." I nodded.

At the confused looks, I clarified. "My room. This discussion really requires privacy."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Christian, slapping his knee. "Let's go!"

"Um, OK." I shook my head. I really don't know what Lissa sees in that boy.

We gathered up our bags and trooped out. Lissa locked arms with Christian and started skipping down the sidewalk, dragging him with her. Eddie and Mason grabbed hold of one another and started skipping exaggeratedly, mocking them. They only managed to look drunk.

I sighed. "Come on, Comrade. Let's get this over with." We most emphatically did _not_ skip.

We walked sedately across campus behind the others, trying to visibly distance ourselves from their antics. I imagined we looked to outsiders like two calm, professional guardians trailing after a pack of unruly teenagers. Also, it gave us a chance to talk.

"Don't worry Comrade." I squeezed his hand. Wait – when did we start holding hands? Huh. Maybe this 'secret relationship' thing was going to be harder than I thought.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Were you going somewhere with that?"

"What?"

He looked down at me, half indulgently and half worriedly.

"Did you forget what you were saying?"

"I was saying something? Huh."

"You need some food." he said decisively. "You've already missed two meals today."

"Well, duh." I gestured to the lovable idiots up ahead. "But we're gonna be busy for awhile, I'm afraid. Food will have to wait."

He frowned. "Maybe I can do something about that."

"Really? Oh, Comrade," I sighed, "if you can get us food, I'll do anything you ask."

"Anything?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'll hold you to that."

I punched him playfully on the arm. "Come on, comrade. We're falling behind."

When we reached my door, the others were waiting impatiently.

"C'mon, Rose!" whined Mason. "I gotta pee!"

"…And the bathroom is over there." I pointed across the hall. "You live in this building too, remember?"

"Oh. Right. Be back in a sec." He hurried off.

I shook my head. Sometimes I worried about that boy. I turned and dug in my bag, frowning. "I know that I put that key in here this morning…" I muttered.

"Here." Dimitri took the bag from my hands and reached in purposefully, only to frown when, seconds later, his hand came up empty. "Rose, when was the last time you had your key?"

"I told you, Comrade, I put it… Oh." I suddenly remembered where I'd woken up this morning. That brought back memories of putting the key on my dresser last night, since that dress didn't have pockets, and leaving my room…through the window. Hmm. And when I'd stopped by my room to grab my practice bag that afternoon, I hadn't thought to grab the key. Although… "I left my door unlocked." I wiggled the knob. Locked.

"Oh." Lissa said in a small voice. "I might have locked it when we came here looking for you this morning."

I glared at her.

"What? I _always_ lock my door."

"Yeah, Liss," I sighed, "but you also always have your key. You guys hang out here – I gotta go get another key from the office."

Dimitri's arm barred my way. "No need." He said gently, digging into his pocket only to produce…

"My key! But, why didn't you say anything?" I frowned at him, puzzled.

He coughed. "Because, Rose, that's not your key."

"Yes it is – see?" I opened the door.

"It's a key to your room, yes."

My eyes traveled to my dresser where, sure enough, my key lay. "Oh. But…"

"I had a copy made. Because you're always forgetting yours." he hurried to add. Sure, Comrade. Not suspicious _at all_.

Lissa eyed him speculatively, Christian glared (predictably), and I just smirked at him. He started to fidget again, so I took pity on him.

"Well, thanks. You've proved that it is, indeed, quite handy for you to have a key. So I suppose you can have this back." I winked.

He blushed, but pocketed it.

Mason walked over then. "Why are you guys still standing around out here?"

I smacked my hand to my forehead. "Mase, we really have to work on this. At this rate, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to catch you up on things you've missed!"

"Wait, what?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just get in here, you guys. You too Mase – we don't need you missing anything else."

I shoved everybody in, double-checked to be sure we hadn't forgotten anyone, and then went in myself, shutting the door behind me.


	6. Chapter 6: Pizza Party!

"OK, guys," I said, as I shut the door, "you might want to get comfortable – this could take a while."

"Rose?" Lissa asked, once we'd all flopped down on the floor and on my bed.

"Yes, Liss?"

"Curfew is in 20 minutes."

"And we have our very own guardian to excuse us. Right, Comrade?" I reached down from my perch on the bed and ruffled said guardian's hair. Normally, that would be impossible, but he was currently propped against the side of my bed, with his head leaning back in my lap.

He sighed. "Rose…"

"Wait – you don't have a shift, do you?" I didn't want to make him late again.

He smiled up at me. "No. I rearranged my schedule."

"Oh?" I tried, and failed, to raise a single brow. "And when did you find the time to do that?"

"Guardian secrets." He grinned.

It was my turn to sigh. "You won't be able to use that against me forever, you know. I'll be a guardian before you know it."

He shrugged. "Then I'll have to make sure to get plenty of use out of it before you graduate. And I've switched my shifts around so I'm guarding all day while you're in class. I'll end my day with our training sessions, just like you."

"Wow. How'd you pull that off?" I was impressed.

"I called in a few favors. And promised to pick up shifts when needed. And I might have promised Alberta to keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble."

I whacked him playfully upside the head. "But… that's way less than you were working."

"Yes."

"Comrade…" I warned, when he didn't elaborate.

He grimaced. "I…may have been working rather more than I had to."

At my look, he caved.

"OK, a _lot_ more than I had to. It kept me from thinking about Ivan, or feeling awkward for not having – or wanting – a social life. Or thinking about you."

He mumbled the last bit, but I was sitting close enough to hear him.

Christian was the only other one of us who seemed to hear. His gaze, which had been directed at Dimitri in an unwavering glare since we'd walked into the room, turned speculative. It was actually unnerving, how much he seemed to care about me. Maybe he wasn't so bad for Lissa after all.

Mason brought my attention back from where it was wandering.

"Will someone _please_ tell me what is going on?"

"Oh. Sorry, Mase." I paused to gather my thoughts. "Here's the condensed version: oh, and this doesn't leave this room, OK?"

Once everyone had nodded assent, I continued. "Dimitri and I are together. But we promised Alberta we'd keep it under wraps, at least until I turn 18, if not until graduation. Shut your mouth Mase – flies might get in."

He shut his mouth with an audible _click_. "When you say 'together,'" Mason started slowly, "do you mean _together_ together, or…" he frowned.

"What else does 'we are together' mean, Mason?" asked Christian.

Mason's frown deepened. "Rose…" he started.

"No, Mase, he didn't force me. Yes, I love him, and he loves me. No, no one else, save Alberta, knows. Yes, he's still training me – though as my guarding partner and equal, not my mentor. Um. Did I miss anything?"

"Were those his clothes you were wearing at lunch?" snarked Christian.

" _That's_ what I missed at lunch?" gasped Mason. "You, in _his_ clothes? He's like, twice your size!"

For some reason, I found this hilariously funny. I started laughing, then couldn't stop. I closed my eyes and fell back onto the bed, tears running down my face, breath coming in gasps. When the laughter finally subsided into giggles, I opened my eyes to find my friends staring down at me worriedly.

Liss took my arm, and I sat up. "You OK?" she asked, just as Dimitri stepped back into the room, flipping his phone shut.

"Yeah, I think so. Where did you go?" I turned to Dimitri.

"Oh, good," he ignored my question, "you've stopped. I was afraid I'd have to take you to see Dr. Olendzki. Again."

"Hey. That last time was _totally_ not my fault."

He shook his head. "It never is, Rose, it never is. Admit it – you're a walking disaster."

I just glared at him. Unfortunately, my stomach chose that moment to let out a very loud – and not at all menacing – grumble. Everyone laughed as I sighed a long-suffering sigh.

"Dimitri," I said sweetly, "this would be a _great_ time for that food you promised me."

"All in good time, Roza."

"Hmph."

"So…" Eddie broke the suddenly awkward silence. "Now what?"

"You could all leave." I said bluntly, eyeing my still-made – but now quite rumpled – bed longingly.

"Sorry, Rose," said Christian, "but you all are _way_ too entertaining for that."

Dimitri broke in before we could start one of our snarkfests. "And I won't excuse anyone from being out after curfew… yet. Oh, and Stan is on dorm patrol duty tonight." He added the last bit nonchalantly.

The others all turned slightly green – they had all had run-ins with everyone's favorite guardian, Stanny-boy. There was no way they were leaving without excuses. Even Eddie and Mason, who lived in the same dorm – just in the opposite wing, since it was gender-segregated – were likely to get in trouble trying to sneak back. Actually, knowing those two, they were _certain_ to get in trouble. Damn, I thought. Looks like Dimitri has us all hostage until he's done with whatever mad scheme he's concocting. Looks like sleep will have to wait. Oh, well. If you can't beat 'em…

"well," I said resignedly, "since Dimitri has us all hostage, we may as well make the best of it. So… Party time!"

Dimitri rolled his eyes, but didn't otherwise protest. Surely his plan wasn't actually to have a party?

A knock on the door interrupted my musing. I opened it slowly, wary of Stanny-boy coming to harass me in my room – hey, stranger things have happened – only to find a… pizza delivery boy?

"Pizza! You had _pizza_ delivered here?"

The delivery boy looked at me like I was crazy, but I ignored him.

"How did you manage that? We're not allowed to have pizza delivered here!"

Dimitri smirked, and turned from paying the delivery boy. " _Students_ aren't allowed to have pizza delivered here." I didn't want to ponder the implications of where he chose to place the emphasis in that statement.

He shoved his wallet into his back pocket and grabbed the stack of boxes from the confused delivery boy, sending him on his way with a courteous "Thanks."

We stared at each other for a moment, and then spoke at the same time.

"So, is anyone going to help me with these?"

"Comrade, have I told you how much I love you?"

As we stared at each other, confused, everyone else fell over, shrieking with laughter.

"Fine." said Dimitri wryly. "I'll just find somewhere to put these, shall I?"

"Oh, give me some of those." I chuckled, grabbing half of the boxes. Lissa recovered from her fit of giggles long enough to begin clearing my desk.

"Christian!" she exclaimed, "Help me with this, would you?"

"Certainly, my dear." He swept an exaggerated bow, and then swept everything onto the floor with an elegant flourish.

"Christian!"

"It's ok Liss – that's how I clean my desk, too."

Dimitri snorted. "You clean your desk?"

"Sometimes. Kind of. Oh, whatever."

We set down the pizza boxes.

"So," Eddie asked, "Is there enough there for us to have some too? Or is all this for Rose?"

I glared at him. "I may eat a lot, Eddo, but this would be a bit much, even for me." I indicated the piles of boxes.

"Good point." said Mason. "So, what have we got?"

And we set to eating pizza with a vengeance.

When we were all blissfully full – which took some of us a lot longer than others – we flopped down once more, groaning.

"Rose," said Eddie appreciatively, "if we get pizza more often, then I'm all for you guys being together."

I chucked a pillow at him. "Aw, thanks Eddo. You're so sweet."

Dimitri rolled his eyes, but surprised me when he agreed. "OK – I'll order pizza once a week. No more though – I wouldn't be able to afford it."

"Oh, Comrade." I was concerned, "This must have cost a fortune! I'm sorry – I didn't think…"

He cut me off. "Don't worry about it, Roza." He smiled at me, then leaned in conspiratorially. "Actually, the school is paying for it. I got Alberta to approve it – she is the one who instructed me to get you food, after all."

"Actually," he pondered, "I could probably convince her to authorize once-weekly pizza parties, on grounds of keeping you out of trouble – but not isolated – and giving you – and I – time to relax and admit our relationship around those who already know. No more than once a week, though – even my persuasive powers have their limits."

"Comrade, you are a genius!" I breathed. "Hold on – are you seriously bribing my friends? _And_ getting the school to foot the bill?" My incredulous look turned indignant.

"Maybe." He grinned slyly.

"That is pretty amazing." Eddie interjected. "I think you lucked out and got a good one, Rose." He indicated Dimitri with the crust of his 15th slice of pizza.

Dimitri colored, but said feelingly, "luck had _nothing_ to do with it."

Then he leaned over and kissed me. There was a chorus of "Awww" and he pulled away, ducking his head.

"So," Eddie asked, after a few moments of everyone staring in shock at Dimitri, which just made him blush redder, "what's the plan now? Do we head back to our rooms, or play some party games, or what?"

"That's up to Rose," said Dimitri, "it's her party."

"And her room." Christian added, oh so helpfully.

"Thanks, Pyro," I snorted, "I never would have figured that out on my own."

"So, Rose," asked Mason, "what's the verdict? Do we stay or do we go?"

I thought about it. "Weelll… I didn't get much sleep last night…"

"But tomorrow is Saturday. We don't have any classes."

"Yeah," I grimaced, "but I have training all day, with you-know-who, starting at an ungodly hour."

"I thought you _liked_ training." Eddie said, confusion evident in his voice.

"Shh." I stage whispered. " _He's_ not supposed to know that!"

"Huh?"

"it's ok, Rose," laughed Dimitri, "I'll pretend I didn't hear it."

"Anyway," he added, "I'm cancelling training tomorrow. We both need rest."

"Wait…why?"

"We're going shopping on Sunday!" Lissa squealed. "And we'll have to be on a human schedule, so we may as well stay up tonight – that way we can _all_ sleep tomorrow and have plenty of energy for shopping!"

"Uh, Liss? That's great and all, but, why are we going shopping?"

"Because… _shopping_?"

"We just went shopping, remember?"

"Yeah, but, Rose," she said, exasperated, " _that_ was for Prom."

"Oh. And what is this for?" I asked guiltily, suddenly recalling the fate of the dress I was supposed to be wearing to Prom next weekend.

"Your Birthday!" She squealed.

"Oh. Liss, there's no need…"

"Rose!" she scolded, 'If I can't spoil you now, I'll just have to do it when you're officially my guardian. And you won't like that any better."

"Yeah, but, Liss," I grumbled, "you'll spoil me then whether you do it now or not."

"True." She smiled serenely. "So you may as well give in."

"I'm not gonna win, am I?" I asked resignedly.

"Nope!"

Dimitri shook his head, amused by our antics. "You may as well do as she says, Rose. If, by chance, you were to actually win this argument, she could just compel you."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. She wouldn't, would she?

Everyone laughed.


	7. Chapter 7: You know Sergei!

"So," Eddie asked, patting his stomach, "what now?"

"Rose?"

Dimitri tilted his head back to look at me.

"Why do I have to decide?" I pouted.

"…We've covered this, Rosie. Your room, your party…"

"Oh, shut it, Pyro."

"Ooh! Ooh! Rose! Looky!"

Lissa jumped onto the bed next to me, squealing. I groaned and covered my ears.

"Ow, Liss!"

"Well, scoot over then."

I rolled my eyes, then jumped as a phone appeared under my nose.

"Look!"

I looked.

"What? Liss, I don't see anything special. Just… Oh. My. God. Is that?"

"Yes!" She clapped her hands and bounced up and down.

"Wait… that's the theater by the mall!"

"Yep. Look at the dates."

"…They'll be there on Sunday."

"Yep."

"We'll be there on Sunday!"

"Yep." She grinned at me, waiting for it.

"Aaaaaaah!" We squealed together.

The guys eyed us, then one another.

"What the Hell just happened?" Mason asked slowly.

I shoved Lissa's phone into his face, not caring that I smashed it into his nose in the process.

"Mase! It's Slayerz! They're playing at the Orange Peel on Sunday!"

He shoved the phone away. "So?"

"So? So we'll be right next door! So we should _totally_ go!"

"Rose." Mason stared at me. "There's no way we can get tickets this late. Those shows _always_ sell out."

"Oh." I deflated.

"Here," Lissa grabbed the phone back. "Let's see… I'll just check… Oh." She frowned. "It says they're sold out."

"Aww, too bad." Christian said with fake sympathy.

Lissa whacked him over the head. "You like them too, dimwit."

I went to smack him too, but Dimitri's hand on my arm stopped me.

"What are you talking about, Roza?"

I stared at him in shock for a moment, then smacked my forehead. "Of course you wouldn't know them. You only listen to music that came out before you were born."

He rolled his eyes. "Roza…"

"They're a band, Dimitri. The Slayerz. Here. I'll show you."

I swiped Lissa's phone and played with it for a minute. Ah, here… I handed the phone to him.

He started at it for a moment, then said, "That's Sergei."

"Um, yeah, Comrade, that's his name. It says so right there." I jabbed my finger at the screen.

"No. Well, yeah, it does. But, I mean, I _know_ him."

"You _what_?" We all stared.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "He was a friend of Ivan's."

I wrapped my arms around him, knowing it still hurt. He smiled at me – a sad smile, but still bigger than usual.

"I wonder…" He frowned in thought and pulled out his phone, scrolling through the contacts. "Ha! Thought so."

He held the phone to his ear, holding up a hand to still our protests.

"Hey, Sergei, long time no see."

We all gaped at him.

"Dimitri?"

He had put it on speakerphone.

"Hey, man, what's up? It's been awhile – hey, sorry about Ivan."

I flinched, but Dimitri only smiled his sad smile.

"Thanks, man."

"So, where are you these days? You've dropped off the radar – none of the guys have heard from you in years."

"Yeah, Ivan's death hit me pretty hard. But I'm getting better. I'm guarding at an Academy in Montana, actually." He smiled at me and laced our fingers together.

"…You've got a girl."

He laughed, startled, "What are you – "

"I can hear it in your voice, man. You never sound like that. Wait – is she there? Put her on!"

I froze.

He nodded at me and squeezed my hand.

"Um, hi?"

"Hey, babe, you be good to him, hear? He's had a rough time. Though, from the sound of it, you're doing something right." I could hear the grin in his voice.

"Um, thanks."

"So, what's your name, sweetheart?"

"Rose."

There was silence for a moment. I thought the call had dropped, and was about to hand the phone back to Dimitri when he spoke.

"Not _the_ Rose Hathaway?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Surely you haven't heard of me?"

"Sweetheart, you're already a legend. Hang on! You're still in school, aren't you?"

"Um, yeah."

"And, Dimitri, you're guarding at an Academy?"

"Yeah."

"It wouldn't be the _same_ Academy, would it?"

"Um…" Dimitri faltered.

"He's my mentor." I said helpfully.

"Roza!" He smacked his forehead.

"Dimitri Belikov! You are involved with your student! What have you been getting up to without us to supervise you? Oh, God. Don't tell me she's underage! Is she underage?"

"Um…"

"Hey! _She's_ right here, you know."

"You've got sass, sweetheart, I'll give you that."

"Um, thanks. I think."

"Wait. Dimitri. You haven't slept with her have you? _Please_ don't tell me you slept with your underage student."

"Um…"

Poor guy. I had to do something.

"See? He's not telling you that. Happy?"

Dimitri put his head in his hands. "Oh, Roza."

We could hear Sergei cackling on the other end. Oh my God! Sergei! I'd totally forgotten who I was talking to. A squeal cut off my train of thought, just before Lissa tackled me.

"Oof. What the Hell, Liss?"

"You had sex and you didn't tell me! Rose! I'm never talking to you again! Oh my God how was it?"

Sergei started howling with laughter.

"You guys are hilarious. Hang on, the guys gotta hear this."

There was a muffled conversation, and then two more voices joined in.

Dimitri smiled wider. "Sasha! Alexei! You guys are there too?"

"Duh. Wait – don't tell me. You didn't know we were in a band."

"Um…"

"What, have you been living under a rock all this time? We're famous, man!"

"Well…"

"He only listens to 80s crap and cowboy music."

"Roza."

"What? It's true. It makes car rides with you basically torture."

I paused.

"Oh, God. You're driving tomorrow, aren't you? Ugh."

I flopped back onto my bed. "Five hours of your lame-ass music. Kill me now."

"Actually, Roza, it's 10 hours. You forgot the drive back."

I put a pillow over my head. "Ugh!"

"Where are you guys going?"

I jumped. I'd forgotten the phone call. Man, I must be tired.

"Shopping. In Billings."

"No way! We'll be in Billings too!"

"Yeah, we just tried to buy tickets, but it's sold out already."

"What? Dimitri doesn't have to pay for tickets. Though, I'm kinda hurt you've never heard of us."

"You'll just have to use this opportunity to turn him into a fan."

"I like the way your chick thinks, Dimitri. If you ever get tired of her…"

"No way! Roza is _mine."_ He pulled me into his arms and squeezed me tight against him, practically growling.

"Awww. You guys are so cute – I can't wait to meet the girl who's finally tamed Dimitri!"

There was some yelling in the background.

"Oops, I gotta go, but we'll see you guys Sunday, right?"

"Absolutely!" I grinned.

"How many tickets do you need?"

"I did a quick headcount. Six. Wait, no. Dimitri – how many guardians are going?"

"Alberta, Yuri, Emil, Celeste." That many?

"Dimitri, why so many?"

"Um, no reason…" He said evasively. He wouldn't look at me.

"Ok… so 10 I guess." I was so getting it out of him later.

"10? Perfect. They'll be at will-call under Dimitri's name."

"Thanks Sergei!"

"Hey, no problem. Oh, and you guys are coming to the after-party too. No excuses."

"We have to get back – it's a long drive." Dimitri sounded strangely reluctant.

"No, man, you're staying with us. We've got a Penthouse suite – you know how big those suckers are."

Wait. Dimitri had stayed in a Penthouse suite?

He laughed. "Alright, man. You've convinced me. We'll see you Sunday."

He ended the call with a smile on his face and a faraway look in his eye.

"You've been holding out on me," I said mock-angrily.

"Rose! We're going to see Slayerz! And we just talked to them on the phone!" Her squeals made my ears ring.

I turned to see Christian, Eddie, and Mason frozen, jaws hanging open, identical looks of awe and disbelief on their faces.

"You… know… Sergei?" Christian finally whispered.

"Man, Rose," Eddie clapped me on the back. "this is even better than pizza parties. You better keep this guy!"

I rolled my eyes, but inside I was happy dancing.


	8. Chapter 8: Just Call Me Mr Efficient

"Dimiiitriiii!" I whined, "I'm hungryyyy!"

"Go to sleep Roza."

"What? No! We have to stay awake, remember? We'll sleep tomorrow."

"Uh, Rose?"

"What, Eddie?"

"It is tomorrow."

"What?"

Lissa's phone sailed past my outstretched hand and thunked Dimitri on the head. "Ow!" He rubbed it, grimacing.

I fished around in the blankets between us until I found it. "Huh, you're right. Guess we better go to sleep."

I let my eyes drift shut, and then I remembered and shot bolt upright. "Dimitri!"

"Uungh."

"Dimitri! I'm hungry!" I shook him. When that didn't work, I slid my hands gently up and down his ribs and then began to tickle him relentlessly.

Unfortunately, this didn't work quite as planned. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself pinned beneath an irate and sleepy Russian. _MY irate and sleepy Russian_ , I thought happily. Then he leaned in a kissed me, and I forgot about being hungry.

* * *

I woke up from a marvelous dream – where I lived in a house _entirely_ made of cheese pizza. I frowned. Somehow, it didn't sound quite so amazing anymore, now that I was awake. Huh.

Then I heard my door opening. I didn't think – I shot out of bed and into a defensive crouch, stake in hand. The intruder chuckled and held out a doughnut.

"Impressive response time, Roza. I think that deserves at least one chocolate doughnut, don't you?"

I shot him my patented man-eater smile. "Oh, comrade," I purred, "just one? I'd say I'm worth a bit more than that."

"Mmmm." He stepped into my embrace, holding the box carefully out of my reach. I pouted, but he just laughed again. "Now, now, Roza. These are for everyone."

I stuck my lip out further, and he caved. "Fine. Here's one more. But no more until everyone else has had at least one."

I grabbed my donuts and bounced away happily. "Thanks, comrade!"

He shook his head. "And to think – all I would have had to do to make you happy – and on time? - for early morning trainings was to wake you up with doughnuts."

"Keep that in mind for the future." I grinned. "Although, I'm afraid you're underrating the effect on my happiness of getting to spend my mornings with you. I was practically on time every day– which, by Rose Hathaway standards, was super early."

He just shook his head. Then he put a finger to his lips. I frowned at him, puzzled, but he tilted his head towards the sleeping figures on the floor. _Oh._ He shot me a sly grin, then tiptoed over to where Eddie was cocooned in one of my blankets. He slowly knelt down, leaned carefully over Eddie's head, and then shouted "WAKE UP!" He leapt out of the way before he finished shouting, which was good, because Eddie shot up, stake in hand, and would have collided with Dimitri's head if he'd still been leaning there. _Huh. He's done this before._

Everyone else had woken up too, of course, and they all grumbled about it, but the box of donuts that appeared suddenly in their midst effectively shut them up.

I waited patiently until everyone else had a doughnut, and then politely asked for another. _Ha. As if._ I'd grabbed three more chocolate doughnut before anyone else had even gotten one. Dimitri shook his head at me reproachfully, but didn't seem particularly bothered. Of course, he'd also bought enough doughnuts for each of us to have about ten, so I didn't feel guilty.

"Hcmphg mng Dntgsm?" I asked around a mouthful of my third doughnut.

"What?" Everyone stared at me. Lissa looked a little green.

Dimitri shook his head. "Roza. Don't talk with your mouth full."

I opened my mouth to show off the doughnut I was in the process of cramming in whole.

"Eeeeew! Rooose! Grooooooossss!" Lissa squealed. She threw a shoe at me, which I dodged easily. _Surely she didn't think that would hit me? Oh_. Dimitri grabbed me from behind, wrapping his arms around me and pinning me to his chest. Hmph.

"Alright, he said, ignoring my struggles to free myself. We'll need to get on the road in about an hour, preferably sooner. The cars are ready. I need each of you to pack an overnight bag, since we'll be staying with Sergei – "

Lissa squealed so loudly I expected my windows to shatter. "Geez, Liss," I said, once she'd quieted, "don't deafen us _before_ the concert!"

She clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide as saucers. I couldn't help it – I started laughing so hard I bent double, hanging helplessly over Dimitri's arms. Eddie and Mason leaned against one another, and Christian sprawled at Lissa's feet, giggling maniacally.

Dimitri sighed. I felt it, more than heard it – _I hope Lissa didn't_ really _hurt my hearing!_ "Right." His words rumbled pleasantly up my spine. "As I was saying. I need each of you to pack an overnight bag. Wear something comfortable – it's a five hour drive, then a day of shopping, then who knows how late we'll stay up after the concert. I've asked Alberta to pack snacks for everyone, so we won't be stopping unless we have to. And, yes, Roza," he added when I started to interrupt, "I _also_ packed snacks. Don't worry – we've got _plenty_ of food."

We all stared at him for a minute after he stopped speaking. He stared back blankly. "Well? Hop to it!" There was a sudden mad scramble as everyone fished through the mess on my floor to find their things. Then they filed out to head back to their rooms. I turned to dig out my backpack from its usual hiding place under the bed, and jumped slightly as arms wrapped around me from behind.

"Aren't you going to pack a bag?" I asked, puzzled.

He smiled against my neck. "Already did. It's in the car."

"Wow. How long have you been up?"

He chuckled, setting my nerves fizzing. "Not much longer than you. I'm just more efficient."

"Hmph. Well, then, Mr. Efficient, why don't you pack _my_ bag, while I go take a shower?"

"I don't know… you might not like what I pack. You never know what I might think girls need for overnight trips…"

I turned in his arms so I could poke his chest. "Puh-lease. If your last name is Efficient, then your first name is Responsible. Or maybe Practical. It's a close call."

"Hmm. And what's my middle name?"

I grinned. "Wellll… I'm gonna have to go with Smokin'." Then I darted off to the showers, leaving Dimitri doubled over in laughter behind me.


	9. Chapter 9: Are We There Yet?

"Are we there yet?"

"Rose." Christian stared at me. "We've only just left." He twisted around to look behind us. "You can still see the gate!"

"Are we there yet?"

"Rose."

"Are we there yet "

"Rose!"

I grinned. "Are we – "

Lissa leaned forward and smacked me in the head with her bag of popcorn. Which promptly spilled all over my head.

"Food!"

I dove for the popcorn, hunting out every last piece. When I was done, I smirked at Christian and opened my mouth.

"Are we there yet?"

Christian sighed. "If I give you _all_ the food, will it shut you up?"

"No!" squawked Lissa. "Don't do it! It's what she wants!"

I reached back and clapped my hand over her mouth. "Pay no attention to your girlfriend, Pyro. It's lies – all of it lies. Now gimme the food."

"Rose."

Dimitri placed his hand over mine, squeezing it. I turned to him. "Yes, comrade?"

He turned to look at me. I bit my lip. "Oh, all right. I won't do it any more."

"Thank you." He squeezed my hand again, then returned both hands to the wheel. "How about some music?" He suggested brightly.

"Oh, thank God!" shouted Christian.

"No, wait! Chrissy, you don't know what you're doing!"

He stared at me. "Rosie. It can hardly be worse than your – "

He stopped, staring at the radio openmouthed. "What is this?" he asked incredulously, after we'd all silently listened to a few verses of "Rock Lobster."

I dropped my head against the back of my seat with a thunk. "This, Fireboy, is what Dimitri considers 'music.'" Then I sat bolt upright. "Hang on! Liss! Do you have your Slayerz CDs with you?"

She straighted, grinning. "Yeah! Hang on, lemme find 'em." She rummaged furiously through her bag, eventually coming up with a stack of CDs. She passed them to me.

"Excellent! Now, Dimitri, you will have to listen to _good_ music, because it's your friend's band, and you don't want to go to their concert _without knowing any of the songs_ do you?"

He sighed.

I took that as my answer, and ejected his CD, holding it by two fingers as if I thought it might bite me. Or contaminate me with bad musical taste. His fingers twitched, as if he was struggling not to bat my hand away from the controls. I replaced his CD with the Slayerz's first album, bobbing my head as the first notes played.

Dimitri gave a resigned sigh, but otherwise didn't comment. I leaned back, put my arms behind my head and propped my feet on the dashboard. Dimitri frowned at me, but shrugged and didn't chastise me for that either. I grinned. _Yes. This car ride was going to be So. Much. Better. than the usual ones._

Of course, I secretly didn't mind Dimitri's music that much. But there was no way I was actually going to tell him that.

After a while, Dimitri's frown eased. Soon he was even wearing a slight smile and bobbing his head to the music. By the time I put in the second album, he was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the beat. By the time the third album started, he was humming along.

I turned back to grin at Lissa, but she was asleep, head pillowed on Christian's shoulder. He was asleep too, arm wrapped protectively around her. I felt my mouth twitch. They were cute together. I even approved of Christian – Hell, I even liked him. But he was so much fun to annoy!

Alberta caught my eye from her seat in the back. She smiled at me, nodding to the lovebirds in front of her. I grinned back. Then I made an exaggerated shushing motion with my finger. She frowned at me, and I grinned again, then held up a chocolate bar and motioned to her with it. Her eyes widened slightly, and she nodded emphatically.

I mimed tossing it to her, and she nodded. I aimed carefully, then sent it sailing neatly over the lovebirds' heads and into Alberta's outstretched hand. Score! She sent me a thumbs-up and began to unwrap her chocolate.

I turned back to the front, preparing to settle in again. Dimitri's hand touched my shoulder, and I looked up at him. He was smiling at me – that huge, sincere smile that no one else ever got to see. I smiled back, and then blew him a kiss. He squeezed my shoulder, silently promising something better when we were alone.

I leaned over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll hold you to that, comrade." I whispered in his ear. Then I licked it. He jumped, sending the car swerving, but righted it quickly. He glared at me. I settled back in my seat, a smug smile on my face. I stretched and propped my legs up on the dashboard again. He opened his mouth as if to reprimand me, then stopped as I adjusted my position slightly. I'd removed my sweater – and tugged my rather low-cut top even lower - and I knew his view had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.

He growled softly and sent me a smoldering look that promised he'd get me back later. Which, of course, was exactly what I'd intended.

I closed my eyes, letting myself relax and drift as I listened to the music, shifting ever so slightly every few songs. Which, as I'd hoped, drew Dimitri's gaze to me again and again. I glanced through my lashes at his hands, which were gripping the steering wheel, fingers clenching and unclenching.

I grinned to myself. _Best. Car. Ride. Ever._


	10. Chapter 10: The Highlight of My Week

Dimitri pulled Lissa aside when we got to the shopping mall. I didn't pay close attention – I trusted Dimitri; she was safe with him. I took the opportunity to badger Christian a bit. Soon enough, Lissa bounced back over to rescue Christian, and we all headed inside. We decided to split up – girls to go shopping for dresses for the concert, guys to the arcade.

"But, Liss," I grumbled, as she dragged me away from Dimitri, "I don't need a dress – what I'm wearing is fine."

She smacked my arm.

"Ow! Liss! What was that for?"

"Rose. You mean to tell me that you _don't want a new dress to meet the Slayerz in_? Don't you want to make a good impression? They're _friends of Dimitri's_."

"Oh. When you put it that way…"

She grinned. "Exactly. Now, come on."

And she dragged me off, Alberta and Celeste following, matching amused smiles on their faces.

"Liss." I groaned. "This is, like, the five-thousandth dress you've had me try on."

"And none of them were right," she said implacably. "Here's a few more – I have a good feeling about that red one."

I sighed, but obediently put it on. It slithered over my skin like water, and it felt like it hugged in all the right places. I craned my neck to see over my shoulder, but I couldn't get a good look at myself.

"Rose! Have you got it on yet?"

"Yeah, yeah. Here – what do you think?" I stepped out of the tiny dressing room, and the three of them turned to look at me. Their jaws dropped – literally dropped. Lissa recovered first.

"Wow!" she breathed. "Rose, forget those other dresses. This is _it_."

I turned, a bit self-conscious, what with all the staring, to look in the mirror. My jaw didn't drop, but only because I clenched my teeth. It was the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen. As I thought, it hugged all the right places. The slightly scooped neck, dropped off-the-shoulder straps, and flared skirt were perfection. The red silk set off my skin and hair, and I looked sultry even without any makeup.

"Wow." I echoed. I reached for the price tag, but Lissa grabbed my hand.

"Rose, I don't care how much this dress costs. I am buying it for you."

"But, Liss – "

"I insist. If it makes you feel better, I won't buy you anything else for the rest of the year. You won't need any other dresses anyway – you could wear this same dress to every party for the next five years and outshine everyone else in the room."

"But – " I grabbed for the price tag again, but she was too quick for me.

"Rose. I. Am. Buying. You. This. Dress. Now, go take it off and help me find mine."

I grinned. "Yes, Miss Bossypants."

She rolled her eyes and shoved me into the stall. "Go! Unless you don't want to have time for dinner before the concert…"

I went.

We took my dress to the counter, and then went searching for one for Lissa. It didn't take quite as long to find hers – I spied it; a flash of color from the corner of my eye that just _screamed_ Lissa. Sure enough, the moment I pulled it from the rack, we both knew it was hers. She tried it on, just to be sure. And, yes, it suited her as well as mine suited me. They were as different as night and day – hers was a deep blue velvet, floor length, with a gathered train in back, and speckled with rhinestones. She looked like she'd gathered the night sky around her; pale hair and skin glowing with a fire that rivaled the light reflected in the rhinestones.

We badgered Celeste and Alberta into buying new outfits, too – practical, Guardian-approved outfits, of course. Even they were reluctant to appear at a Slayerz concert (and private after-party!) in formal Guardian uniform. When I got over the mind-boggling sight of Alberta in a sequined top, I had to admit that it was perfect for her. The satisfied smile she wore as they rang it up told me that she'd been dying for an occasion to wear sequins forever. Which was a strange thought. I shook my head, feeling a bit disoriented.

We bought shoes to match the dresses then, and headed off to meet the boys at the arcade.

Dimitri pulled me into a kiss as soon as we walked in, and then led me away from the others. "Uh, Dimitri? Where are we going? I thought we were going to dinner now?"

"We are." He grinned at me.

"Aaand… so why are we going the opposite direction?"

"Because, Roza, I have a surprise for you. But first…" he looked up and nodded to Lissa, who had apparently followed us out.

"Rose!" she squealed, "Come on. Let's go get you ready!"

"Uh, Liss? Ready for what?"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, tugging me into the bathroom. Then she handed me my new dress and shoes.

"Go put these on."

"But – "

"I'll explain in a minute. Now go on!"

I rolled my eyes, but did as she said. She stowed the clothes I'd been wearing away in her bag, and then pulled out her makeup kit and brush.

"What - "

"Hush." She brushed out my hair and pinned it up on my head with glittering rhinestone pins, letting a few strands fall to loosely frame my face. Then she did my makeup. I didn't seem to have much choice, so I shrugged and let her work. Finally she stepped back and nodded. "Look in the mirror."

I turned, and gasped. "Oh, Liss! You're amazing!"

She grinned. "I know. Now lets get you back to Dimitri. He has plans." She winked at me, and tugged me out of the bathroom.

Dimitri's jaw dropped gratifyingly when he saw us, and I instantly forgave Lissa for talking me into buying the dress. He pressed a kiss to my hand and swept me into his arms for a kiss. I looked anxiously for Lissa – I didn't want to leave her unprotected – but Alberta had come to collect her, and they waved and winked at me as they headed back to the others. I relaxed into Dimitri's embrace, and just enjoyed the kiss.

"Mmm." He whispered, when he finally let me go, "you look stunning, my Roza."

I grinned. "Thank you. Now, didn't you say something about food?"

He swatted at me playfully, then offered his arm. I took it, and he led me up to the top floor of the shopping mall, to a section I'd never been to. I frowned at the unfamiliar stores around us, and then stopped so abruptly that I dragged Dimitri to a halt too.

"We're going here? But, you have to get reservations ages in advance!"

He smiled, a sly, secret smile. "Ah, Roza. You should know by now that I have _connections_." He winked at me.

The restaurant was everything I'd heard – gorgeous, glittering perfection. The food was absolutely to die for. It was perfect. And then Dimitri knelt before me, and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket.

I gulped. "Dimitri – "

"Shh." He put a finger to my lips. "My Roza, I can't live without you. You make my life complete, and I can't bear the thought of being parted from you. I know that, as Guardians, our lives won't always be easy, nor will they be perfect. But I promise you that I will spend my life protecting you – above any Moroi – "

I gasped, and he silenced me once again.

" – and striving to give you everything you desire. I love you, Rosemarie Hathaway. Will you consent to be my wife?"

I felt tears spill from the corners of my eyes, and he wiped them away with gentle fingers.

"I – yes! Oh, Dimitri! Yes!" I was laughing and crying, and then he silenced me with a kiss. And everyone around us clapped, which made Dimitri's face flush bright red. And that calmed me more than anything.

He slipped the ring onto my finger, and then wrapped me in his arms. When we finally separated, we realized that we would have to hurry if we wanted to meet the others in time to get to the Concert. Sergei had arranged for us to show up early and meet the band, and I knew Lissa would probably kill me if I caused her to miss it.

Dimitri paid our bill, and then swept me into his arms and carried me, laughing, out of the restaurant and back to the others.

Lissa squealed, of course, when she saw the ring. Alberta smiled indulgently, and I realized that she knew – and approved. I felt much of my anxiety melt away. Everyone admired the ring, and congratulated us heartily – and then we realized what time it was and piled quickly back into the vans. It was a short drive to the concert venue, luckily, so we would make it on time if we hurried. Dimitri – not one to drive slowly at any time – pushed the speed limit even more than usual.

We piled out of the vans, Guardians scanning the area first as always. Then Sergei saw us, and jumped up from where he'd been lounging against the wall. He ran toward us, shouting "Dimitri!" and then barreled into him, wrapping him in an enthusiastic bear hug, complete with much back-pounding. We all laughed, and then Sergei caught sight of his friends and fellow band-mates, and waved them over.

Then we all had to have hugs, and Christian almost fainted, which was, after the proposal of course, the highlight of my week.


	11. Chapter 11: If You Can't Beat 'Em

**_Last chapter you guys! Thanks so much for reading and for all the reviews. I'm so glad you've enjoyed it!  
_**

 ** _PS - I am sorry to say that i won't be writing the planned sequels to Coming Home to You or No One Ever Looks Up. I'm not really in the Vampire Academy fandom anymore, much as I love Vampire Academy, and I have too many demands on my time just now to do them justice._**

 ** _If any of you are interested in writing a sequel / follow-up to either or both of these, PM me. I would be happy to chat about it and/or beta. Please also send me a link when you publish, and I'll link to it here and on the other sites this is crossposted on._**

* * *

"Man, I can't believe you almost _fainted._ " Mason and Eddie were laughing so hard they could barely speak.

Christian scowled at the ground, but looked up, grinning, when Sergei clapped him on the back. "Never mind them. It's always gratifying to meet a _true_ fan."

"… _girl_ ," Eddie coughed.

Christian's ears turned bright red. I was about to step in to rescue him – _rescue, Christian, of all people. Mercy. What is the world coming to –_ when someone gasped. I looked up, puzzled.

Sergei was staring at me – no, my hand. I looked down. _Right. The ring. I'd nearly forgotten_. "Is that…"

It was my turn to blush. "Yeah." I turned my hand slowly, watching the diamond spark fire as the light hit it. We all stared at it, captivated.

Sergei was silent for a moment, then he turned to clap Dimitri on the back. "I knew you were serious about her, after that phone call, but…" He shook his head. "Congratulations, man." He gave me a slow once-over. "She's a looker, that's for sure. But, Dimitri, are you sure… I mean, she's so young…"

Dimitri moved closer to me, draping an arm protectively around my shoulders. I could feel the delicious heat that radiated from him, warming my side. We were standing so close we were touching – ankles to shoulder. Well, My shoulder. His ribs. His voice, when he spoke, rumbled with assurance, steadying me more even than his rock-solid presence and possessive touch. "I'm sure." He turned, tipping my chin up with the touch of his finger, to stare into my eyes. His eyes were dark; I felt myself drowning in them. His voice sounded faint in my ears, drowned out by the sudden rush of blood. "She's my life – my everything." Then he leant in and kissed me, and the world faded away.

When Dimitri pulled back – seconds or hours later, I wasn't sure – everyone was cheering. I blushed and ducked behind him. I wasn't usually embarrassed, but… that kiss was _private_. It promised things I didn't want anyone else to see.

Sergei wolf-whistled, and then slung an arm around each of our shoulders. "Well. I reckon you are, at that. Come on – we need to get set up for the concert. Although," he waggled his eyebrows, "I'm afraid anything we do is going to seem rather pale, compared to _that_."

Dimitri and I blushed further, and then simultaneously leaned in to swat him across the back of the head. It was completely unplanned, but very effective. I caught Dimitri's eye as Sergei howled indignantly, grinning wider than I'd ever grinned in my life. His answering grin mirrored mine, and he leaned towards me again and mouthed "I love you."

Then we all trooped inside. Dimitri's friends ended up enlisting all of us to help them set up – apparently they'd used up most of the set-up time joking around with us – and then we were in the audience – front-row, of course – and the lights dimmed, and the Slayerz bounced onto the stage, and the music started.

As the first notes washed over us, Dimitri pulled me against his chest and into another toe-curling kiss, and I lost track of everything but his body pressed against mine, his hands sliding through my hair, caressing my skin. His lips, devouring mine. His breath, hot against my ear. His everything, freely given.

And then Lissa was tugging on my arm, shouting something, gesturing to her left, where Christian, Eddie, and Mason were jumping around in time with the music. All I caught was "Dance now, kiss later." I looked back longingly at Dimitri, not wanting to leave his side. He started to wave me on, then thought better of it, and grabbed my other arm, instead. I looked up, surprised, as he started docilely following along in Lissa's wake. He shrugged and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "If you can't beat 'em…"

Then he threw his head back and laughed, deep and rich and free, and I fell in love all over again. For a second, I felt the music falter, and I glanced at the stage to see Sergei staring at us as if he'd seen a ghost. But then the look was gone, the music was back, and then we were dancing, all of us, and it. Was. Amazing.

~The End~


End file.
